It's Either Me Or Her 2: A Side Bitch Story

by Tiece

  “Actually, it does. He’s my boyfriend.” Charlotte smiled as Monica’s cheeks got rosy.

  “You got you a winner, girl. I actually met him briefly. He seems like the perfect gentleman.” Charlotte avoided going into detail about how she knew Yung Gunner. She didn’t even bring up the fact that he was with a completely different woman when she saw him and that was who Charlotte assumed to be his girlfriend. It was obvious that this girl was in love with the man that had helped Charlotte. What she didn’t know was that this girl also happened to be the half sibling to Rayne and Winter, the planned and wanted child of her estranged baby daddy and his deceased wife.

  Chapter 9

  “You have officially lost your mind,” Toya’s voice and face let Brooke know just how disgusted her sister was with her.

  As Brooke recanted what she had done, Toya couldn’t help but feel like Brooke needed some type of help. The help of a psychologist would have probably been the best thing for her delusional sister.

  Toya released a sigh as her head shook from side to side. She had always been the one in Brooke’s corner and she loved her sister tremendously, but this was too much, even for Toya. Brooke had done something that was unforgiveable and Toya couldn’t think of anything to say to soothe her sister and ease the ill thoughts running through her head. Brooke had been playing with fire for a while now and she was just now starting to get burned. It’s been a long time coming and Toya knew that.

  Brooke was so impulsive sometimes. She often acted without thinking of the consequences or repercussions she would face.

  Brooke sucked her teeth as the truth came from Toya’s mouth. “Excuse me? Last time I checked, you’ve done some wild shit in the name of love too.”

  Toya cackled loudly, “Normal shit like fuck up a car or pop up at the crib unannounced. I’ve never and would never drug a man.”

  “It wasn’t my intention to. I just wanted to loosen him up. Chase has been so uptight since he left me for that bitch. I think she might be the reason why his body rejected the molly. He fell asleep almost as soon as he finished his drink,” Brooke explained with slight disappointment that Toya could detect.

  “What did you expect him to do?” Toya was clueless to the effects of Molly.

  Brooke shrugged, as she diverted her attention to the television. “I mean, he could have been up. Most people who do molly are wired and geeked with the inability to stop gritting their teeth, talk, and sleep. It’s a happy drug, so to speak.”

  Toya was blown by Brooke’s words. She now knew that her sister had tried molly herself and that she didn’t find her actions to be completely unacceptable. “If he was up, then what? Brooke, you have to learn how to move on. One day, Chase is going to wake up and be tired of your bullshit. What will you do then?”

  Brooke had no idea what she would do if that was to happen. She didn’t want to raise her children alone, but she was pushing Chase away. If he woke up and decided to cut all ties with her, there would be nothing that she could say. She had caused all of this damage herself.

  Brooke glanced at Toya as her eyes became watery. She wasn’t asking for sympathy from her sister, but she was at a loss for words. Besides, nothing she said would make any of the shit she caused go away. Toya could tell that she had made Brooke upset. She always spoke the truth to her, even when she didn’t want to hear it.

  Brooke had enough of Toya’s lecturing and she didn’t want to cry anymore. She had already cried for hours after Chase left the house without speaking to her. He didn’t look at her twice, as he nearly staggered out of the house with Jeremy standing at the door waiting to get him. She had become an emotional wreck and had to drop Mason off with her mom, in order to get a peace of mind. Now, she was in dire need to be with her son. His innocence and limitless love was all she needed right now.

  Brooke retrieved her phone from the coffee table and dialed her parents’ number. Toya watched her curiously, unaware of who it was she was trying to reach.

  “Hey mom, what’s my baby doing?” Brooke asked, as she spoke into the phone. In a second flat, the smile that she attempted to display was wiped off her face and replaced with a frown as she jumped up.

  “Why would you let Chase take him? I didn’t tell you Chase was coming to pick him up.” She was now in a frantic state as she tossed her phone on the couch and ran out of the living room, with Toya on her tail.

  She was running from room to room in an effort to find her car keys. Her mind was racing with thoughts of Chase taking her child from her, for good. The thought of it caused her to stop in her tracks and release a blood curling cry as her body dropped to the floor.

  “He’s going to take Mason from me, Toya. I know it. He’s trying to take my baby from me. What have I done to deserve this?”

  Toya rolled her eyes before going over to console her mentally unstable sister. She was sure that Chase simply wanted to spend time with his son and he had every reason to do so, after the night he had with Brooke.

  “He would never do that to you, Brooke. Why would you say such a thing?” Toya asked.

  “You don’t understand Toya. Rayne has Chase’s head so fucked up. He will do anything she says. This isn’t like the last time. He’s not giving Mason back; I know it and I can feel it.”

  Brooke bitterly placed the blame on Rayne. “If he takes my son from me, I will end Rayne’s little music career. I promise you, I will. After all, my money started the label anyway! It’s about time I cash in on what I deserve.”

  When Toya was met with the determined blood shot eyes of Brooke, she knew her sister wasn’t fibbing. She was just hoping it wasn’t Rayne who convinced Chase to pick Mason up without Brooke’s consent.

  ***

  Winter’s eyes were turned into slits as she watched Charlotte strut to her car with a brown paper bag in hand and a smile on her face. Words wouldn’t begin to describe how furious she was when she pulled up at Kroger to find her grandmother by herself with a cart full of bagged groceries.

  Winter was not too pleased with what she saw. Charlotte had hopped out of a white BMW with a female driving. Her face was concealed with a pair of shades, so Winter had no idea who the woman was and she was too pissed at Charlotte to care.

  “Hey Winter.” Charlotte was very chipper as she slid into the backseat.

  Winter kept her mouth shut as she pulled off and headed home. Right now was not the time for her to tear into Charlotte in the worse way.

  Unlike Rayne, Winter didn’t sugar coat anything when speaking to Charlotte. Whenever she was given a chance to give Charlotte a piece of her mind, she did. Charlotte often stayed away from her for that reason and Winter was fine with that.

  “Where in the world did you run of to?” Charlotte rolled her eyes as Winter started.

  “Ma knows where I went. I had to run to the store,” she stated.

  “Oh, you needed your fix,” Winter suggested.

  “Winter, don’t start with me. I will set it off with no problem if you keep it up. You are my child, not the other way around.”

  Winter was amused but she was done speaking. Charlotte had already been struck by her words, so she remained quiet the rest of the way home.

  Charlotte was the first one out the car when Winter parked in front of the apartment building. She ran inside before coming out to help with the bags. She was shocked to see Rayne parking Chase’s car behind Winter’s. Her heart began to beat fast as she slowed her steps.

  Rayne purposely avoided looking at Charlotte, as she joined her grandmother and sister in removing the grocery bags. It wasn’t until she passed Charlotte did she say, “I was wondering where you went off to. Come on inside, we need to finish our talk.”

  Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “The hell if we do. We talked about all that we need to.” She walked at a snail’s pace behind the three women in her life, with the gut feeling that something was up. Charlotte was planning her escape as the twins helped their grandmother put up the groceries she had purchased. Sh
e took sips of her bottle as she tried to think of somewhere she could go. Her money was low, so her options were limited.

  Rayne came into the living room followed by Winter and big ma. Charlotte tilted her bottle up to her lips, as she greedily downed the alcohol like it was juice. Rayne and Winter looked on in disgust as their mom opted out of talking and focused on the television.

  Winer was the first one to speak up, “Put the bottle down for once, Charlotte. It’s time for you to get your shit together.”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes and pulled the bottle away from her mouth. Using the back of her free hand, she wiped at her mouth as her throat began to burn.

  “I’m sure Rayne told the two of you about her demand for me to go to rehab. Is this what you’re getting to? If so, you can stop right now. I will go to rehab after I enjoy myself one last time. I have a right to have one last hooray before I’m placed on lockdown.”

  Winter cocked her head. “Charlotte, rehab isn’t lockdown; we aren’t talking about a prison here. This is more like a safe haven for you. It is the only thing that can save you at this point.”

  “Either you get help or you can kiss all three of us goodbye,” Rayne threw out the ultimatum she had come up with. The whole ride to their grandma’s house, she toyed with the idea of forcing Charlotte into rehab. She would have rather Charlotte go voluntarily, but that would never come about. Rayne sought the help of Ms. Summers and Winter, while hoping the three of them could team up and make one last attempt to talk some sense into Charlotte. It was something Winter, Rayne, and her mom had done on numerous occasions. Charlotte would always blow off their words, but she was actually listening to them today. She may not have liked what she was hearing, but she was tuned in to what her children were saying.

  Charlotte turned to her mother, who sat on the right of her. She reached over and patted her shoulder, then looked at her girls. “I will go to rehab, I promise. I just need y’all to let me enjoy today the way I want to.”

  “In other words, you need to get lit before you seek help,” Winter paraphrased.

  “Call it what you want to.” Charlotte lifted her bottle and took a big gulp. After doing so, she was hit with the urge to use the bathroom. As Charlotte turned her back to exit the room, Ms. Summers called out to her.

  “What is it, ma? I have to pee.” Charlotte hopped up and down like a child would.

  “Charlotte, I almost forgot to tell you. Grant is in town. I saw him at CVS earlier, picking up a prescription. He didn’t see me, but I surely saw him. I could never forget a face like that.”

  Charlotte’s jaw dropped as her eyes threatened to pop out of her head.

  Winter and Rayne peeped Charlotte’s reaction and simultaneously asked, “Who’s Grant?”

  “The devil incarnate,” Charlotte spat, as she gave her mom the evil eye for even mentioning such a thing in front of the girls. Her throbbing bladder reminded her of what she was in the process of doing as she staggered to the bathroom feeling irritated and bamboozled. The alcohol had begun to work its magic.

  ***

  The sun had set and Brooke still hadn’t heard from Chase. She tried calling him at least a hundred times and not one of her calls were answered. She was trying to refrain from acting impulsively, but she was starting to lose her cool. Chase had gotten his point across and she recognized the error in her ways. Mason didn’t need to be taken from her as punishment.

  Brooke unlocked her phone and prepared to dial Chase but was stopped by an incoming call from an unknown number.

  “What do you want Quincy?” Brooke hissed.

  “Bitch, you know what I want! Don’t make me send another reminder of your past. I’m tired of you playing games with me.”

  Brooke became fearful as she got up to check and see that the front door was locked; she was two steps away from the door when all of the lights downstairs went out. Brooke’s phone slipped out of her hand as she attempted to check the door, but it was a struggle being that it was pitch dark inside of her house. When Brooke finally got to the door, she checked to see if it was locked. Luckily it was, but she unlocked it just to peek out front to make sure that her house wasn’t the only one without lights. However, the moment the door opened, her heart dropped. Immediately, she tried slamming the door closed, as three intruders trespassed on her property.

  Quincy effortlessly pushed the door open with enough force to send Brooke flying back. “I tried to be respectful Brooke. I forgot that you like to be roughed up every now and again.” He released an evil chuckle as he clapped his hands once.

  That signal sent both of his men into action and they each took one of Brooke’s arms and hemmed her up against the hallway wall. Quincy removed a small flashlight from the jacket pocket of his tailored suit. It was as long as the palm of his hand, but the light was very bright. Brooke squinted her eyes as Quincy flashed the light in her them. She wouldn’t dare say a word out of fear of being hit or worse. Quincy would kill her and that was something Brooke needed to avoid at all cost. It was obvious that he wasn’t playing about his money and Brooke was going to come up off of it or else.

  “You’re much more vocal over the phone, Brooke. Where is my money at?” Brooke started to cry as her feet dangled in the air. Her arms were beginning to hurt from the tight grip the beastly men had on her.

  “I don’t have your money, Quincy. I spent it a long time ago.”

  “Spent it on what? Bitch, you gotta have more to show for all the dough you stole from me.”

  “I invested it.” Brooke’s lip quivered as she closed her eyes.

  Quincy went back into his suit jacket and revealed his favorite sidekick. The silver .22 was like his prized possession and he carried it with him everywhere he went. Quincy had just loaded it with a full clip, so he was ready to put in some work if need be.

  “What the fuck did you invest it in? Speak now or forever hold your piece.” Quincy took the gun off safety and Brooke almost pissed herself.

  “Quincy don’t! I will get your money back, I promise. I invested in A-town records. Your money started the label. Give me a few days and I will have all of your money, I promise.”

  Quincy had one hand holding the flashlight in Brooke’s face and the other one carrying the loaded firearm he had pointed at Brooke’s forehead.

  “You mean a nigga got a percentage of A-town records?” Quincy released a menacing laugh. “This shit couldn’t get any sweeter. Brooke, you did good girl. You invested my money in a goldmine baby! I’ma spare your life for that. I’ll be back soon, so we can talk about how you’re going to get me my money.” Quincy tucked his gun away and left the house. His men dropped Brooke once he was gone and they followed after him.

  Chapter 10

  The next morning, Brooke woke up feeling uneasy and weak as she lay on her back looking up at the ceiling. She felt lost and hurt. So much had happened in so little time. She didn’t know if she was coming or going.

  She sighed then eased up on her pillow to rest her back on the headboard of the bed. Gently, she rubbed her throat feeling pain from where Quincy’s boys had roughed her up.

  “Aaaaaah,” she softly let out with a disheartened shake of the head.

  She’d been having the worst of luck lately, and she didn’t know what to do with herself. She sat there stiff as a board like she was unable to move. The only thing that helped pull her through the night was Chase finally calling so that she could talk to Mason. Thoughts of hearing Mason’s voice before she laid her head to rest was the only thing that woke her up. However, remembering the words that Chase spoke during that same phone call had her wanting to go back to sleep and never wake up again as his words started replaying in her mind over and over again.

  “I’m not taking Mason away from you. However, I am keeping him for a few weeks. I think you need to get yourself together, Brooke. You’ve been spiraling out of control and I can’t pretend like I don’t see it. You drugged me. I know you did, because I was tested. Why would you do
that?”

  Brooke covered her face with the pillow feeling embarrassed at the thoughts of what she’d done. “Why did I do that?” she questioned herself with a disappointed shake of the head.

  “I could’ve pressed charges against you, but I didn’t. I feel like you need professional help. You’re running from something in your past that you’re going to have to face someday. I don’t know what that may be, but it certainly has you wired up. That’s for sure.”

  Brooke’s stomach cringed inside at the thought of Chase even knowing just a little something about her past. It literally made her sick on the stomach as she took in a desperate needed breath, and then let it back it out. She sat staring at the ceiling while praying for a miracle. Hopefully, the baby she was carrying could be her ticket of having a second chance at life and with Chase. Something needed to bring him back to reality just so he’d know just how much she really loved him.

  All of a sudden, Brooke’s cellphone rang as it startled her a bit. Quickly, she picked it up to see that it was Toya calling. She wasn’t in the mood for any bullshit, but what the hell.

  “Hello,” she said, as if she didn’t want to be bothered.

  “Are you okay?” Toya questioned out of concern.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Brooke said, but a part of her didn’t want to talk to her little sister. She was still upset at how Toya seemed to take Chase’s side. She knew she was wrong for giving him the liquid molly, and she showed remorse about it. However, Toya still ran her big mouth to Jeremy which was the main reason why he took Chase to the hospital. Had that not have happened then he may not have had the tests run on him that proved she’d been a very devious woman.

  “Have you gotten out of bed yet?”

  Brooke somberly shook her head as she replied, “Not yet.”

  “I think you need to get out of that house, Brooke. I know you’re going through some things, but you need to get your life on the right track. Start back seeing Dr. Jackson. She was good for you at one time,” Toya said. She remembered a time when her sister was happier. Now, all she did was mope around or fuck up her life even more.